International Journal of Music Education

This study examined the musical development and lived experiences of four children with exceptionalities. It took place in a children’s home (hogar) in Bolivia—a residential care setting for children with exceptionalities—through their participation in a Christmas-themed performance. Guided by a transformative approach, the researchers aimed to promote inclusion while amplifying the voices of marginalized children. Data sources included video recordings and field notes. The Sounds of Intent framework was used to gauge musical engagement across rehearsals and the final performance. Findings revealed individualized and collective growth in interactive musical responses, some of which might have gone unnoticed with observation notes alone. A powerful moment of collective interactive engagement occurred during the final performance, adding to the evidence base for the social benefits of collaborative music-making for people with diverse abilities and needs. Also, interview responses indicated participants’ positive emotional experiences, supporting the use of accessible resources to facilitate expressive communication. Overall, this study evidenced the use of participatory, child-centered strategies to impact the musical and social development of people with diverse abilities, including in underrepresented cultural contexts.

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (TIP) has been found to support emotional regulation and improve behavioral performance; however, in China there is little research on TIP in music education. In this multiple case study, three Chinese public elementary school music teachers were interviewed to assess their understandings of trauma and TIP. Findings revealed that the teachers’ perceptions were derived from personal experiences, life observations, and teaching practices, rather than pre-service or in-service training. Therefore, their practical understanding of trauma and TIP was vague. The process of conducting interviews and journal reflections with the teachers enhanced their awareness of trauma. The teachers did not fully support the use of TIP because they mistook it for therapy and thought it the responsibility of mental health teachers. They identified a lack of family education as one cause of negative student behavior and felt it beyond their ability to address. Two teachers reported that their emotions were negatively impacted from working with trauma-affected students. Findings suggest that practice-based professional development on TIP could help teachers to better apply psychological theory to inform their teaching practices, improve their ability to recognize and respond to trauma-affected students, and better monitor and maintain their own mental health.

The UK conservatoire sector remains heavily oversubscribed with privately educated and socioeconomically advantaged students. This study examines the lived experiences of state-schooled students navigating pathways to music conservatoires, framed by Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital and field. Through qualitative interviews with 21 alumni from state school backgrounds, this study examines how the middle-class norms and values embedded in classical music education perpetuate exclusionary practices. Despite financial precarity, imposter syndrome and systemic biases, participants in this study demonstrate resilience and adaptive agency. By amplifying marginalised voices, the research critiques the conservatoire talent pipeline, exposing the symbolic violence embedded in institutional structures. It argues that ‘elite but not elitist’ rhetoric masks deep rooted hierarchies and calls for transformative reforms across the sector. In doing so, the study generates valuable new insights into cultural reproduction, specifically for those pursuing classical music training and makes a significant contribution to conservatoire research.

This study explores studio music teachers’ motivations for engaging in community music and how these experiences can enhance their teaching approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with studio music teachers in Australia. A qualitative approach using thematic analysis was used to gain insights into their perspectives on community music involvement. Findings identified that being engaged with community music influenced the teaching approaches of studio music teachers in four ways: through student engagement, community engagement skills, managing practical challenges, and career development skills. A conceptual framework of Participatory Music-Making Teaching Methods was developed from the integration of these themes. The framework provides studio music teachers with guidelines towards enhancing their private studio practice to create more holistic, engaging, and effective learning environments for their students. Through this exploration, this study seeks to encourage more music educators to view community music engagements as professionally rewarding opportunities.

Care has become increasingly recognised as fundamental to ethical music education practice, yet the concept encompasses diverse theoretical approaches reflecting varied contextual needs and scholarly traditions. While this diversity highlights the complexity of care, it can present challenges for operationalising concepts in empirical research. This study addresses the need for heuristic clarity by identifying theoretical patterns across care scholarship in music education. Using Walker and Avant’s concept analysis methodology, this study analysed 33 peer-reviewed sources published between 2000 and 2024, identified through systematic searches of four electronic databases. Data were analysed through collaborative coding and consensus analysis, thereby establishing defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Specifically, five interdependent attributes were identified: Relational Attentiveness, Responsive Reciprocity, Vulnerable Competence, Empathetic Compassion, and Transformative Responsibility. Key antecedents enabling care include educator ethical preparedness, recognition of student vulnerability, and supportive institutional contexts, while consequences encompass transformative outcomes for student well-being, agency, and musical engagement alongside enhanced teacher fulfilment. This study establishes care as a sophisticated and multidimensional practice requiring developed skill, critical awareness, and contextual navigation. The proposed framework offers a systematic perspective designed to complement, rather than replace, existing contextual approaches to understanding care in music education.

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary preservice teachers’ comfort and perceptions of teaching music throughout their participation in a music integration course. Utilizing a repeated measures design, participants (N = 112) completed three surveys measuring their conceptual understanding of music integration, anticipated classroom use, and comfort with specific musical and instructional activities. Results indicated statistically significant increases in participants’ comfort with singing alone, singing in small groups, integrating music into classroom instruction, and teaching other subjects. While initial perceptions of music integration often emphasized its subservient use, most participants reported strong intentions to integrate music regularly in future teaching. These findings reinforce the value of hands-on coursework in building preservice teacher comfort and emphasize the importance of equitable access to arts instruction. The study highlights the importance of embedding music integration into teacher preparation programs and suggests that reflective, experience-based instruction can build both pedagogical competence and commitment to music in the elementary classroom.

The potential of choral singing to support well-being is increasingly recognized, yet most studies focus on adults or clinical populations. Research examining healthy neurotypical youth choir singers is emerging, but few explore its impact on well-being outcomes. This qualitative study explored how choir participation impacts youth well-being, examining the experiences of Serbian youth choir singers, aged 15 to 24. Focus group interviews were conducted with 26 participants (7 males and 19 females), including members of school and extracurricular choirs, to address motivation for joining, perceived benefits and challenges associated with choir participation, and the role of conductors. Thematic analysis, guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and PERMA well-being frameworks, revealed significant socio-emotional benefits from choir participation. Passion for singing, social connections, and musical skill development were the major motivators for joining. Participants consistently reported benefits, including increased positive emotions, reduced stress, greater confidence, improved social interaction, increased support, personal growth, and the conductor’s encouragement, which were central to their well-being. Challenges like performance anxiety, intergroup dynamics, and rehearsal intensity were observed. The findings highlight the multidimensional benefits of choral singing and its potential to enhance well-being among healthy youth.

The study investigated the online music teaching internship process from the perspectives of preservice music teachers (PMTs) and their mentors. A descriptive case study design based on semi-structured interviews, weekly journals, and lesson plans was used to collect data from PMTs and their mentors. Findings highlighted that PMTs learned to bridge theory and practice, navigate technological challenges, and maintain student engagement while teaching music online. They experienced a shift from task-oriented to student-oriented perspectives, learning how to apply learner-centred methods, resulting in personal growth (confidence, creativity, and innovation) and enhanced teaching proficiency (time and class management). During virtual mentoring, PMTs had mixed experiences, which led to occasional miscommunication with their mentors, prompting the need to have constant discussions. The mentors emphasised that their primary role was to provide emotional support, feedback, and revisions while encouraging PMTs to independently engage with the course content and materials through self-directed research. They thought that the internship experience enabled PMTs to take more risks and be creative and innovative. This process strengthened their sense of identity and enhanced their awareness of the music teacher’s role through improved self-reflection and self-evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to explore why an amateur musician decided to begin playing the flute as an adult, their motivation for devoting their leisure time to music making, and their musical identity. Serious leisure theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Research questions that guided this study included: (1) Why did the participant begin music making in adulthood? (2) What motivated the participant to continue music making as an adult? (3) What is the participant’s identity as a musician within the professional-amateur-public (PAP) spectrum? Using a narrative research design, I collected data over a 16-month period that included interviews, informal conversations, and observations of the participant during a weeklong summer music festival. A system of coding helped to organize data, and two themes developed during analysis: (1) becoming a musician and (2) professional(ism). Findings from this study indicate that motivation played an important role in the participant’s musical journey and aided with sustained engagement in music making. The identity between amateur and professional musician intersected for the participant, who demonstrated professional-level standards with commitment, knowledge, and performance levels, but did not earn a living playing the flute.

Choral rehearsal can be considered a teaching-learning space where conductor partially adopts the role of a teacher. To achieve the desired aim, the conductors must possess numerous skills. In choral conducting expressiveness is one of the key elements to consider. Using a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with six expert conductors, strategies and tools to enhance expressiveness during rehearsals with amateur choirs of different levels were identified. The analysis suggests that clear and effective communication, including verbal and non-verbal elements, is essential to establish a musical and emotional connection between choir and conductor. The need to adapt expressive gestures to the musical context, the choir’s level, and the phases of rehearsal is emphasized. These insights may provide insight into the importance of providing conductors with training that integrates conducting technique, expressivity, and communication. It also emphasizes the need for observation and self-analysis to enrich conducting practices. Without generalizable conclusions, the study contributes to understanding that expressiveness and communication should be considered as part of conductor training to improve rehearsal dynamics and enhance musical performance. Based on the insights and experiences of the conductors, effective choral conducting requires combining technique, expressiveness, and empathetic leadership to achieve more engaging interpretations.

This qualitative study examines how experienced P-12 music teachers’ classroom management has evolved over two decades, shaped by trauma-informed and culturally responsive pedagogies. Earlier music education research often promoted rigid rules and punitive responses, frequently without cultural or contextual sensitivity. Recent scholarship instead emphasizes relational pedagogies grounded in students’ identities, lived experiences, and sociocultural contexts, reframing classroom management. Using secondary analysis of a longitudinal study of nine music teachers with more than 20 years’ experience, plus new interviews with six participants, we explored how professional development in relational, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive practices influenced beliefs and teaching. Findings show veteran teachers moving from compliance-driven management toward adaptive, empathetic, student-centered approaches. They prioritize caring relationships, affirming identities, and creating safe, respectful environments. Teachers also reported adjusting expectations to account for individual backgrounds and trauma, recognizing student well-being as foundational to learning. Ongoing challenges include meeting diverse needs in large ensembles and balancing curricular demands with accommodations. Teachers’ reflections highlight the need for continuing professional development focused on context-specific relational pedagogies. The study recommends targeted support for music educators at all career stages and calls for further research on how teacher education addresses these approaches and intersectional classroom relationships.

To help support students make music in contemporary styles, music education researchers suggest focusing on how contemporary musics are made with current technologies. The purpose of our study was to understand the learning and music-making practices of music producers who use digital audio workstations. We begin our article by examining literature that focuses music production pedagogy outside and inside of schools. Following, we describe our methodological approach—using semi-structured interviews to engage with 13 practicing music producers to understand how they learn to make music with digital audio workstations. Using an inductive thematic analysis approach, we found that music producers find and make beats with YouTube, use trial-and-error approaches and YouTube tutorials to learn how to produce, and use YouTube to make and learn music collaboratively. We conclude by discussing the influence and impact of YouTube on music production pedagogy and its implications for music education.

Initiated as a volunteer outreach effort in Israel following the October 7, 2023 war, a music education program served 178 evacuated, out-of-school children to support displaced children’s education. Participants (N = 178) were divided into two age groups: preschoolers (n = 80; mean age: 4.1 years) and schoolchildren (n = 98; mean age: 8.0 years). The program featured rhythm-based activities, including playing percussion instruments and creating self-invented rhythmic notations. In this arts-based study, I examined children’s audio-graphic responses to rhythmic stimuli and age-related differences in expression. Data included children’s invented notations, verbal comments, and field observations collected over thirty 1-hr sessions and analyzed through qualitative content analysis and triangulation of visual, verbal, and external assessments. Audio-graphic responses were categorized into five genres: Instrumental Pictograms (depicting sound sources), Acousmatic Notations (representing sounds), Contextual Illustrations (non-musical content), Integrated Productions, and Enigmatic Drawings (depicting unclear content). Findings revealed distinct age-related patterns across categories, with a plateau in Pictogram responses. War-related themes were rare in Contextual Illustrations, though bipolar semantic differential scales indicated underlying crisis-related emotions. This study contributes to international research on children’s processing of conflict through art, providing insight into their musical perception and socio-emotional experiences amid evacuation and wartime conditions.

This study examined how subject music teachers in Croatian primary schools perceive the role of listening in Music Culture lessons, and how these views are related to their own musical engagement in leisure time. A cross-sectional survey of 132 teachers used a self-report questionnaire on background variables, frequency of leisure-time musical activities and attitudes towards the necessity, status, and repertoire of classroom listening. Descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U tests were applied. Teachers strongly endorsed both singing and listening as necessary classroom activities, but generally favoured a balanced model in which listening is placed on an equal footing with other activities. They supported stylistically diverse listening while still assigning a somewhat privileged role to classical music. Significant associations linked teachers’ leisure listening habits with pedagogical attitudes: frequent classical listeners tended to prioritise classical repertoire and the status of listening, whereas those who often listened to popular and traditional music more strongly supported stylistic diversity. The findings highlight the need for teacher education and professional development to address not only curricular expectations but also teachers’ musical identities and their influence on classroom listening practices.

Today, diversifying the music curriculum is considered a matter of social justice. Although including non-Western and contemporary genres in education is seen as an obvious move, in the context of South African scholar education, the introduction of alternative musical practices has resulted in a misalignment between the curricular conceptual framework and the values of the musical practice. Social realist theorists argue that conceptual knowledge is important because it allows knowledge to be transferred by students. But this is only possible if students can integrate abstract understanding with their empirical experiences, a process described by Maton as semantic waving. Using document analysis, a senior secondary African music curriculum from South Africa is examined for the potential it offers for such integration and application of knowledge. The analysis reveals the complexities of musical knowledge and its articulation in published curricula. It concludes that issues of equity are complicated by curricular structures which do not provide conceptual coherence, and thereby constrain knowledge-building opportunities.

This article investigates how Chinese MA music education students in the UK engage with student-centred pedagogy in the context of instrumental and vocal teaching, and how these pedagogical approaches are reinterpreted upon their return to China. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 39 participants—including MA music education students, their UK-based tutors, and graduate returnees—this qualitative collective case study examines intercultural pedagogical adaptation and professional repositioning. Findings reveal that students initially struggled in the UK with using open-ended questioning, reflective teaching, and safeguarding restrictions, but gradually developed greater pedagogical awareness and learner responsiveness. Upon returning to China, graduates encountered institutional resistance, exam-oriented cultures, and parental expectations that conflicted with UK MA-informed teaching values. Returnees employed adaptive strategies to preserve pedagogical intent while aligning with local norms. The results highlight the need for international music education programmes to embed culturally responsive support for both in-study and post-study transitions. This article contributes to the literature on pedagogical adaption of student-centred teaching, intercultural teacher identity, and graduate employability in music education across global contexts.

The internationalization of higher education has led to a growing number of international students, particularly from Asia, studying music-related programs in United States, yet little systematic exploration has revealed the experiences of these students and the challenges, successes, and intercultural understandings they must navigate to complete their education abroad. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the experiences of East Asian international students in American music education degree programs. The following questions guided this study: What are the experiences of East Asian international students in American music education programs? What differences in school/educational/social cultures are present and how are they navigated? The experiences of four Asian international students were examined through two rounds of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data sources for this study included interview transcripts as well as extra information gleaned through the member-checking process. Several themes emerged: navigating professional challenges, language barriers, lack of inclusivity and representation, and navigating cultural differences in educational and social contexts. These findings provide crucial insight for university faculty to foster more inclusive music education environments by emphasizing the importance of mentorship, cultural understanding, and supporting international students’ career development while also recognizing their valuable contributions to the university community.

Primary music education teaching and learning practices are significantly influenced by the ideological positionality of teachers, including what it means to be ‘musical’ and what is valued within the music lesson. Uniquely framed through the concept of Althusser’s interpellation, this paper traces the shifts in ideological perspectives of Irish primary generalist teachers regarding their understandings of musicality, and in particular, the notion of musicality as ‘giftedness’. Using Participatory Case Study Research, this study derives data from generalist primary teachers (n = 3) and students (n = 137) in the Republic of Ireland across a range of different schools who utilised Musical Futures approaches over the course of a school term. The findings illustrate how engagement in such informal and non-formal teaching and learning pedagogies vis-à-vis Musical Futures approaches acted as a catalyst for the reappraisal of embedded musical beliefs within the primary music classroom, thereby positioning such approaches as a means to address hegemonic structures within primary music education. As teachers confront these ideological assumptions, the paper’s findings shed light on how these shifts have implications for practice within generalist education in the music classroom.

This qualitative case study explores how culture-bearer pedagogical identities develop in preservice elementary music education. Focussing on two preservice teachers of Cajun heritage, the study examines how they situate themselves as culture-bearers and how this positioning influences their pedagogical identity formation. Data were gathered through interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journals. These sources were analysed thematically to identify the processes and activities that supported culture-bearer pedagogical identity development and the ways these experiences shaped their perceived proficiency in culturally responsive and diverse music teaching. Findings reveal that engaging as culture-bearers enhanced the teachers’ confidence, informed instructional decision-making, and fostered culturally responsive learning environments. The study also highlights challenges, including balancing curriculum mandates with heritage-based approaches. Implications for music teacher education include the value of supporting preservice teachers in integrating their cultural heritage into practice to enrich students’ musical experiences, strengthen teacher identity formation, and position culture-bearing as a pedagogical asset in music education that affirms diversity.